Blogs

After cancer, my “normal” life is long forgotten, but how can I get back to life as a person who is well?

Heartbreak and loss trail behind us every day in the cancer world. But so does understanding, friendship and love.

After being diagnosed with cancer, I took a hard look at what I was eating and made some positive changes.

I typically don’t use cancer labels, such as “survivor” or “thriver,” but when I heard about COVID-19 “long-haulers,” the term resonated with me.

I prefer when people respond with empathy when they hear about my wife’s death from cancer, though I’m often met with sympathy first.

I did not wear my prosthetic breast for my son’s wedding, but I did pack some lymphedema essentials for my trip.

At a neighbor’s funeral, I realized that people have their own hardships, too, and there is a time and a place to discuss my cancer diagnosis.

There are many people in my life who made my cancer experience far easier. I call them my "cancer posse."

While my wife has been an amazing caregiver throughout my cancer experience, I realized that it was not fair for her to continually be on the receiving end of all my negative emotions.

As I reflect on the month of June, I see it as my “rebirth,” as four years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer, and my life has not been the same ever since.

When I noticed the bare shelves in a recent trip to the grocery store, I started to think about how supply chain issues might impact cancer care.

After seven years, my prosthetic breast, “Rightie,” sprung a leak and needed to be replaced.

When participating in FORCE’s Virtual Advocacy Day, it was difficult for me not to go off-script, as anger welled up inside me.

After cancer, I now have more empathy for people going through health crises, though when I see others posting inspirational stories on social media, I can’t help but to wonder how much strife they have actually been through.

I can’t imagine my daughter not getting important cancer treatments because we could not afford it or because insurance denied it. Unfortunately, that is the situation for many patients.

Post-cancer depression sometimes makes me feel like I’m being run over by a bus, but here’s some advice on how to let it pass by.

Recent clinical trial results have given me new hope that one day soon, a cure for all cancers will be found.

I was lucky to find a cancer resource center that offered support groups, free wigs and plenty more — including delicious luncheons for survivors and their families.

Looking back, perhaps a poem could have helped me tell my family about my cancer diagnosis.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, I struggled to discuss what was going on, but once I started a blog, the sunshine began to pour in.

It has been 46 years since my brother died of cancer, and I have finally reached the “bitter resentment” stage of grief.

My daughter is a cancer “previvor” because she inherited a cancer gene from her mother, so this Father’s Day, I’m celebrating her, too.

After surviving cancer, I knew what medical upselling looked like, and experienced it firsthand when a clinician tried to send me for more tests than I felt necessary.

Telling friends and family about a cancer diagnosis can be gut wrenching. Here’s how I did it.

Seeing a friend meet up for a business meeting made me miss my fast-paced life before cancer, but reminded me to trust the process of where I am now.

I’ve experienced fatigue from cancer before but contracting COVID-19 took it to a whole other level.

Recent headlines have been highlighting a monoclonal antibody that eliminated evidence of disease in patients with rectal cancer, but I believe that findings from the research need to be taken with a few grains of caution.

Before being diagnosed with cancer, I would turn my gaze away from people who were suffering, but now, I connect with them, and know that it could be me.

Cancer and its treatments can affect oral health, though when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, the thought of seeing the dentist slipped my mind.

One of the most loving things I can do for my family is to purchase life insurance, but my application was turned down, presumably because of my cancer history.